Legalize it, already

Kathleen Parker has the precisely correct reaction to the Michael Phelps flap. Marijuana should be legalized and taxed. It’s costing the society way too much in terms of law enforcement and hypocrisy.

Update: Some interesting reactions from early commenters. Sacredh notes that the combination of marijuana and power tools is not advisable, to which I say: as opposed to the combination of alcohol and power tools? Wbrain notes that the combination of marijuana and schizophrenia is not advisable, to which I say: ditto on the alcohol and we have to talk about relative costs and benefits here. No sane person can argue that legalization would be cost free. But, is the cost to society of criminalizing a relatively benign drug–certainly no more harmful than alcohol, and arguably less so–greater than the benefit of denying said drug to potential schizophenics?

Commenter Sqr1 fantasizes about me having a pipe and stash stashed in my desk. Sorry, but the office is a smoke-free facility.